The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency is hosting a free conference for healthcare providers that will focus on the growing number of asthma cases in the Central Valley.

The Sixth Annual Asthma Conference is organized by the Stanislaus County Asthma Coalition and is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon today at Memorial Medical Center-Sutter Gould Medical Foundation Health Education Conference Center in McHenry Village in Modesto at 1700 McHenry Avenue, Suite 60B.

An estimated 65,000 people in Stanislaus County suffer from the lung disease, and 23,000 of those are children. The conference will highlight strategies and tools focusing on asthma and air quality. Healthcare providers across organizations will have opportunities to share experiences, insights, case studies, and innovative methods that move guidelines into practice. Participants will learn what is new in asthma therapy, review case studies with an asthma specialist, learn about the impact of air quality on health care, and be able to network with local healthcare providers.

Scheduled to speak at the conference are Dr. Jun Lu and Dr. Dai Park, both leading asthma

Experts, and Anthony Presto, outreach and communications air quality specialist from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.